Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Loki

Loki, the god that was connected to fire and magic. He was born from giants, but then crafted his was into becoming a god. Loki was crafty, a very sly being. He was also malicious and was always eager to take the life of many. Loki was a shapeshifter, which added to his cunning persona, by being able to change into form of whoever he wanted he could deceive others and stir up trouble. With the power of being a shapeshifter, most would never know his true appearance, he could have just used someone else’s features for the look of his “real” appearance. Loki would use this power for mischief and tricks in order to get his way throughout the gods. Even with all of these villainous qualities he was very also very heroic in nature. He had three children, Fenrir, Jormungand, and the goddess hel, which all became some kind of symbol for evil among the gods. There were many of things that Loki despised, but he hated the gods of Asgard and continually sought to overthrow them. His worst exploit was the murder of the the god Balder, for which he was punished by Thor (Columbia University Press). He was finally bound to a rock by ten chains and tortured by drops of venom from a serpent overhead (HarperCollins). It was prophesied that when Ragnarok (the end of the world for the gods) came, Loki, with the help of his monstrous children - Fenrir the wolf, the Midgard serpent, and the goddess Hel - would lead the enemies of heaven (Colombia University Press). The major story that Loki appeared in was “Loki’s Children and the Binding of Fenrir.” This story explains the most of his life and persona. Loki was evil, but he was still a god.